Police Incident Reports A Selection of Noteworthy Incident Reports

Incidents listed are selected by the Officer In Charge of each shift that may have significant public interest.
Incidents listed are not inclusive of all incidents. To view Calls for Services information, please visit CrimeReports.com. Requests for information can be directed to the MPD Records Unit: (608) 266-4075.

Incident Report for Case #2014-60435

Incident Type

Information

Incident Date

02/26/2014 - 11:52 PM

Address

600 block S. Whitney Way (Westgate Mall)

Details

It was another frigid night, in a city where one would think a glimpse of warmth on the horizon would be embraced by those weary of this winter's stubborn grasp. But what one veteran officer witnessed – while most were tucked away in their beds - was not a sign of spring. In fact, he initially feared there might be casualties.

The officer was parked near Westgate Mall's Hy-Vee store when suddenly, just before midnight, a "large bright white fireball" pierced the cold night sky.

"The object was moving extremely fast and would have without question struck the ground." That is what the officer initially thought.

A colleague confirmed he had just witnessed the same "long fire trail" as he drove his squad car along Old Sauk Rd.

The initial officer was able to capture the moment on squad car video. Looking at it, it did appear the object could have fallen near a local television tower. The officer drove there and could find nothing out of the ordinary.

He checked, and the FAA reported no large planes in the area. No longer fearing a catastrophic event, the officer took a few moments to further process what he had seen, and as he did, he began to believe whatever fell from the sky could have tumbled a long, long distance away. "I did not see any impact flash or hear an impact," he concluded.

In the end, he thought it likely a meteor or some space junk that momentarily heated up an otherwise cold night of routine patrol.